57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/8/15

Hannibal: So this is how the show is going to extend the Red Dragon book into half a television season where two movies were able to tell the story in about two hours: with copious amounts of flashback. Not that I am against more Abigail Hobbs. Maybe we will learn more about the Verger baby Alana conceived.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Ray Donovan: After two season, I still do not care much about the main characters, but surprisingly the show does a great job recruiting weird and entertaining tertiary characters. Case in point, my favorite part of this episode was Al Swearingen's kid's obsession with a movie with children's cereal recast as action heroes. Awesome. I would watch that. But I fear it would do as well as Pixels did at the box office.

Masters of Sex: So after decades of being married to a homosexual, Margaret Scully has decided to shack up with a polygamist? I guess that makes some sense, if he is too busy having sex with multiple women, there probably is not much time left on the side for men. But my favorite part of the episode was Bill starting to read, and implement, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and shockingly it seemed to work for him. Well until Tessa confronts about leaving a bottle of his aftershave in his mother's bathroom.

The Strain: Like I said, I like when shows get weird and it does not get much weirder than starting an episode with a five minute lucadore movie with no known connection to any of the current cast members. The star would end up running into Gus who is now without his ninja vampires (um, is that all the ancient vampires had working for them?) after getting burned by the old dude. I kind of hope they team up to kill vampires now.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Falling Skies: How exactly can you keep an alien invasion from your kids for three years? So random skitters, no looting humans? None of the kids asking why they have not seen any other human beings in that time?
You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Get them together and put some wine in them and the Liars' mothers act just like them except Mrs. Hastings is definitely the Hannah of the bunch. They are even stupidly going down into a dark basement together without their phones. They also commented on how the scholarship guy looks like a Dilarentas which is making me think that he is just one huge big red herring before we learn who Charles is next week. Though the age does not really work, I hoping it turns out to be Hermie the Hermaphrodite. Where has that guy been? Speaking of M.I.A. where is Mona, she does not get an invite to alternaProm and was not at the real one either. It is not like her to miss a party.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Tyrant: I figured last week that Sammy would eventually run into his father but I am a bit surprised it happened this early. Now how long until Jamal realized that the freedom fighter he is helping is his brother. And how long until anyone bothers to tell the daughter her father is still alive or has she been pretty much written off the show?
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robinson: A couple seasons ago when Casey Cartwright popped up on a cop show I declared her the least believable law enforcement agent ever in the history of television. Her playing a teacher / stripper / house flipper may actually still be a more believable role than her playing a cop. Speaking of not very believable law enforcement agents, how does Meagan Goode still find work? I know she is nice to look out but no one who works as much as she does has less range than her. And her only mode is acting too cool to be there which is really kind of insulting to the audience.
You can download Mr. Robinson on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: When creepy lovechild of American Psycho and Pete Campbell was up on the roof I thought, oh goodness, he is going to toss the chick over the edge. I was almost right, instead he just strangled her to death. And is handy wiping her lips really going to eliminate all the DNA off of her? How about also wiping down her throat too. And while I am no lawyer, I am assuming when you admit to committing a crime against your therapist does not fall into the patient-client privilege Elliot. But like pretty much everything that happens on the show, I am not entirely sure if that scene actually happened or if it just happened inside Elliot's head.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Twinning: Of course the week after realizing that one of the twins pairs were (probably) on The Real Cancun they go home. Hurumph.
You can download Twinning on iTunes.

Under the Dome: This show really hates lesbian, both of them - dead. Wasn't the woman cop into ladies too? Come to think about it, the show really likes to kill of women - the lesbians, the hot lady cop, the hot sister, the creepy other sister, the fat chick (three seasons in and I have come to the realization Big Jim is the only name I know). Oh my. Have they even ever killed off one of the main male characters. The only one coming to mind is the token black dude. Jeez, this show really hates minorities. Should we start an over / under until the new black chick gets killed?
You can stream current episodes of Under The Dome for free with Amazon Prime.

Around the Tubes: 8/7/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Crash Test, Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church, Public Morals, Friends of the People, PBS Arts Fall Festival, The Hotwives of Las Vegas, Nirvana, Ties that Bind, Prophet's Prey, Keith Urban, Grace and Tony, Gilmore Girls, Jem and the Holograms, boxing, and the MTV Video Music Awards.

- Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) announced today their new comedy special Crash Test will premiere exclusively on Vimeo On Demand on August 18, 2015. Adapted from their beloved comedy show at Upright Citizens Brigade, Crash Test showcases Rob Huebel (Children’s Hospital, Transparent, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp) and Paul Scheer (The League, Fresh Off The Boat, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp) on a state-of-the-art party bus adventure, picking up famous comedians and celebrities as they go on a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles. Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld and Mike Rosenstein of Red Hour executive produced the special. Crash Test will retail on Vimeo On Demand for $3.99. For further information and to pre-order the special, please go to: vimeo.com/ondemand/crashtest.

- Rock legend Jimi Hendrix captivated the world with his unique, highly stylized, jaw-dropping approach to blues guitar. The new Showtime documentary Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church, premiering Friday, September 4th at 9:00 on-air, on demand and over the internet, chronicles his largest ever U.S. performance at the massive Atlanta Pop Music Festival in July 1970 with never-before-seen concert footage of the icon in action. Standout performances include such Hendrix classics as Hey Joe, Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Purple Haze, as well as versions of Room Full Of Mirrors, Freedom, Straight Ahead and The Star Spangled Banner against a backdrop of fireworks. The recently unearthed footage, shot by Steve Rash (The Buddy Holly Story), details the historic night and the efforts of promoter Alex Cooley to create the definitive music festival with Hendrix as the centerpiece.

- Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is ramping up its video-on-demand efforts to offer TV subscribers multiple binge viewing opportunities, including an on-demand sneak peek of episodes of the upcoming TNT series Public Morals the day after the series' Aug. 25 premiere, plus brand new episodes of truTV's Friends of the People before their TV debut. Additionally, beginning this week, every single episode of all seasons of truTV's Impractical Jokers and TNT's Cold Justice will be made available on a variety of platforms and devices including online and on mobile devices, giving viewers control over how they watch – whenever and wherever they want - as part of Turner's robust TV Everywhere offering, For the first time ever, TNT is offering fans an on-demand sneak peek of multiple upcoming episodes of a series. The day after the Aug. 25 premiere of the Edward Burns drama Public Morals, TNT will make episodes 1-4 available for fans to watch anytime and anywhere through set-top VOD, the Watch TNT mobile app and www.watch.tntdrama.com, as well as on participating TV providers websites and apps. Additionally, TNT will make every episode of the real-life investigative series Cold Justice available on demand to allow fans to binge-watch the past two seasons leading into the season 3 finale on Sept. 18. Episodes currently airing from season 3, which premiered on July 31, are made available on demand the day after their TV debut and will stay up through the finale, giving fans the option to catch up on the entire series all at once.

- PBS President Paula Kerger announced today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour the full lineup and airdates of PBS’ annual arts programming showcase. The 2015 PBS Arts Fall Festival returns October 9, 2015 at 9:00 p.m. ET, celebrating its fifth season, with eight new weekly programs. The Festival will launch with the inventive, high-energy Unity– The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson, hosted by the legendary and world-renowned percussionist Sheila E. and featuring Michael Jackson’s greatest hits interpreted by award-winning Latin artists.

- The second season of Hotwives brings us to Las Vegas, a city where dreams and fortunes are made every day – along with hundreds of new cases of herpes. We’ll meet a fresh batch of real Hotwives – loving and clawing their way through Sin City with smiling faces because the Botox won’t let them frown. Brace yourself for double the drama, triple the heartbreak, and seven times the fake boobies on The Hotwives of Las Vegas. The Hotwives of Las Vegas will begin Tuesday, August 18 exclusively on Hulu and Hulu Plus.

- On August 28, 2015, Nirvana’s self-titled, double platinum-selling (United States) / 7x platinum-selling (Worldwide) posthumous collection Nirvana (UMe) makes its debut on 45rpm double LP, pressed on 200-gram heavy weight vinyl and packaged in a furnace black gatefold sleeve with liner notes and a digital download card for 96kHz 24-bit HD audio; as well as a 33rpm single LP 150-gram standard weight vinyl edition which will feature a download card for 320kbps MP4 audio. Nirvana will also be released as a Blu-Ray Pure Audio in high resolution 96kHz 24-bit and is available in three stereo audio formats: PCM, DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD stereo.

- Kelli Williams (“The Practice,” “Army Wives”), Jonathan Scarfe (“Hell on Wheels,” “Perception”) and Dion Johnstone (The Tempest, “Stargate SG-1”) star in UP’S first original scripted drama series Ties that Bind with special guest stars Jason Priestley (“Haven,” “Beverly Hills 90210”), C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, “Grimm”), Kirsten Prout (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, “Kyle XY”) and Luke Perry (UP’s Welcome Home, “Beverly Hills 90210”) – Premieres exclusively on Wednesday, August 12 at 9 p.m. EDT.

- The highly-anticipated documentary Prophet's Prey will make its world television premiere on Saturday, October 10th at 9:00 on Showtime. The film, focused on the tyrannical cult leader Warren Jeffs, debuts theatrically nationwide under the Showtime Documentary Films® banner on September 18th in New York and on Friday, September 25th in Los Angeles, followed by additional cities including San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and Salt Lake City, among others, on Friday, October 2nd. An official selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and directed by Academy Award® nominee Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil, West of Memphis), Prophet's Prey is a unique and intricate look inside the world of one of the largest cults currently operating in the United States, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS).

- As you may have heard, Keith Urban was recently named a Music Education Ambassador by the Country Music Association in efforts to bring attention to the grossly overlooked educational benefits of music. Such lack of understanding has led countless districts across the country to cut their music programs under the belief that music is more a hobby than an education. Yet an infographic, created by Kent State University’s School of Music, clarifies any confusion, showing that music not only has educational merit, but that it can be used to close the educational gap amongst students and schools. For more information, please see the full infographic, which can be found here: musicedmasters.kent.edu.

- Husband-and-wife duo Grace & Tony are set to release their next album, Phantasmagoric (a favorite word of Edgar Allen Poe’s meaning “out of this world”) on September 25, 2015. Featuring 10 tracks that sound as if they belong in a macabre Broadway musical, the album is rife with dramatic tales of plagues, serial killers, mass suicide, Frankenstein’s nameless creation and similar subjects so inherently theatrical that they’d be right at home in a Sondheim or Brecht-Weill classic.

- UP announced today it has acquired the full seven-season run of Gilmore Girls, the award-winning, fan-favorite family drama.

- Hasbro Studios and Sony Music/Legacy Recordings will release a #TrulyOutrageous tribute album to Hasbro’s 1980s cult classic Jem and the Holograms today, featuring modern renditions of hit tracks from Starlight Records very own JEM Jem and the Holograms, The Misfits, and The Stingers. The Truly Outrageous: A Jem and the Holograms Tribute is a contemporary salute to one of Hasbro’s most successful animated television series of the 1980s. The digital-only album provides a showcase for some of today’s hottest up-and-coming artists to perform new versions of 12 classic songs first heard during the top-rated 65-episode run of the beloved Hasbro Jem and the Holograms series. It is available to pre-order now at: smarturl.it/TrulyOutrageous.

- Pickin' and grinnin', singin' and spinnin' tall tales and corny jokes, the citizens of Kornfield Kounty landed on television in 1969 with the arrival of Hee Haw as a summer replacement series for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Each week, co-hosts Buck Owens and Roy Clark and the cast of comedians and musicians welcomed the biggest stars in country music to perform their songs and help deliver the legendary corny one-liners. Though a hit, CBS dropped the show in 1971 in an attempt to "de-countrify" the network's programming; however, it was quickly picked up and became the longest-running weekly syndicated series in television history. And, this September, Time Life invites home audiences back to rural Kornfield Kounty for some timeless, down-home entertainment with The Hee Haw Collection in stores September 8.

- In what is expected to be the final fight of his illustrious 19-year career, boxing superstar and pound-for-pound king Floyd “Money” Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) will put his undefeated record and WBC and WBA Welterweight World Championships on the line against power-punching, two-time welterweight world champion Andre Berto (30-3, 23 KOs) Saturday, Sept. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live on Showtime PPV (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).

- On the heels of his highly anticipated music video for Cant Feel My Face, critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, The Weeknd will make his MTV Video Music Awards debut with the first-ever televised performance of the hit single. The telecast is set to air LIVE on Sunday, August 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on MTV from the Microsoft Theater, formerly Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. Miley Cyrus will serve as host.

I Want My Music Television: 8/6/15

Nwa - Miguel


Who would have guessed two and a half decades after imploding, we would be having an N.W.A. reconnaissance? And there is not a better time considering the most popular rappers this year have no flow and are just really bad RnB singers (seriously, how are Fetty Wap and Future a thing?). Straight Outta Compton comes out this month while Dr. Dre is releasing a pseudo soundtrack to it (assuming it is not perpetually delayed but unlike Detox, Compton has a release date, we will see if it actually drops tomorrow). Beating both of those is Miguel's ode to the group that does not actually feature any members aside from a third degree of separation Kurupt instead. C'mon, do not tell me Miguel could not at least get MC Ren on the track.

Ditmas - Mumford and Sons


After shunning music videos when their album was originally released, now Mumford and Sons cannot stop releasing them. The got silly dressing up for The Wolf, not they are going a more serious, artsy path for their latest with a song that pretty much has the same structure as The Wolf. As I blindly hated on their new electric sound, I did not realize at the time how similar many of the songs sounded.

Freedom - Pharrell Williams


Pharrell Williams's last album was kind of annoyingly (pardon the pun) happy. It looks like he may go a little darker on the follow up. Sure Freedom is as dark as his darkest moments with N.E.R.D. but I think I like this better than anything on G I R L.

Go Away - Weezer


I should probably enjoy Weezer making fun of a dating app, but after Hilary Duff's blatant commercial a couple months ago masked as a music video, this just leaves me a little cold. It does not help that the song is not very good.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/1/15

Hannibal: Well that was an odd way to start off a new episode, dialogue free with a character we have never seen before. Then we get to learn what has happened since Hannibal turned himself in three years ago, he has pleaded guilty but is eclipsed by a new serial killer. Will now has a wife and a teenage son and of course is talked into working on the new case, the first time since Lecter was locked away. Really other than Hannibal, I do not think he has worked on a case since season one (except I guess when he was wheeled in to consult on cases while in the prison for the criminally insane). It is nice to see him back at work.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Masters of Sex: I figured they were not going to go with Hef, but was still a bit disappointed that it did not go that way. It is amazing to think that The Playboy Club failed spectacularly, but if my memory serves me correctly, that did not have much, if any Hef on that show either. But poor Tessa, having an absentee mother who is best known for writing a sex book is going to be rough.

The Strain: The kid was annoyingly precocious last season in a oh yeah Eph has a kid kind of way whenever he popped up on screen, but not with the recast, the kid is just downright extremely annoying in a I really hope his mom turns him so we do not have to listen to him anymore kind of way. But the UV security system was pretty cool, I did not see the ninja vampires going out like that.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Falling Skies: By far the best part of the episode was whoever named their bowling alley Lois Lanes. Awesome.
You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Wait, Red Hood is back? I thought we already learned that CeCe was Red Hood. Or is this an A situation where we learn who it is only for the writers to go, nope, that was not A because we need to stretch the story out another couple seasons so here is another A to torment the girls? Meh. It may be time to end the show.At least Hannah and Spencer commented on how much the scholarship guy looked like Jason because I actually thought that was Jason when he walked into the room for a couple seconds. But alas, I fear the cop will no longer what Allison to coach church girls soccer after she stole his pass key, that was not very Christian of her.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Tyrant: It only took half a season but finally someone recognized Barry even with the beard. You would think someone in the second biggest city would recognize him considering we saw his face plastered all over the place in the season premier. Of course the one person who recognized him ended up dying, and really for no good reason either. But since her father left the show, there was no reason to keep her around either even though that was one of the more interesting relationship in the first season. But now that his son is on the way to the city, I wonder how long it will take for Barry to run into him (but seriously, who gets ten million dollars and then decides to drive to a war zone, take the money and run young gay dude).
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: I spent the first couple episodes assuming Christian Slater was a figment of Elliot's imagination only to have some very distinctive interactions with many other characters the past two week. But this week he is back to just randomly showing up out of nowhere (on the steps of Elliot's apartment because Dalia Royce told him about it? Alrighty). But this episode felt like the show's first misstep going back to the drug dealer who I am still not entirely sure how he figured out Elliot was behind his incarceration. It just felt like a very long excuse to put Shala's death on Elliot's conscience.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

SexAndDrugsAndRockAndRoll: I usually talk about how the behind the scenes aspects of Aquarius are more interesting than what actually happens on the screen and that may be the same for the new Denis Leary Show (I probably will not be writing it by name because of the overabundance of ampersands in the title and for some reason Blogger does not like displaying them properly). I went to watch the second episode of the show On Demand this weekend and found it interesting that there were four different versions of the episode. Most episodes typically have two version in my On Demand folders, SD and HD (TNT is the only channel I watch regularly that annoyingly does not offer their shows in HD On Demand) but the new FX show also had SD and HD version for the broadcast version and an uncensored version. Then again yesterday there were all explicit versions. I did not noticed anything naughtier than I am used to seeing on FX except Joan Jett dropping an F-bomb in the two episodes (other FX shows have used plenty of non-F expatiates and I have seen Jax Teller's naked backside many more times than I ever wanted too). Maybe this may be where television is headed. I know Aquarius has an uncensored version but was used for the On Demand release (at least the version I have watched. Mr. Robot had some F-bombs in this week's episode that were noticeably edited out (I think Mad Men pioneered the using F-Bombs that are edited out unless you count nineties rap videos). If only the actual show was as interesting as it is being distributed.
You can download Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll on iTunes.

Twinning: I found the premiere cheesy fun but nowhere near as good as other competition shows that it rips off. Then something caught my eye this week in that I kind of recognized a pair of the twins Roxanne and Nicole. I could not find confirmation anywhere on the internet that they are the same set, but the duo do share the same names are the twin who appeared in the seminal bad movie The Real Cancun a decade ago so I am just going to ahead and assume they are the same twins. (Fun fact: current VH1 star of Hindsight Laura Ramsey also got her start on the first, and probably only, so called reality movie). As for the actual episode, this week's challenge was slightly better but that wall seriously limits having any good challenges. I wonder at what point, if ever, do the change the game and merge the houses and take down the wall. And the Twin Off continues to be stupid. You can grab two random friends from any high school in the nation that could do just as well if not better at these questions.
You can download Twinning on iTunes.

Around the Tubes:7/31/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on World Lion Day, Peanuts, You're the Worst, Feherty, On the Record with Mick Rock, The Day the Bomb Dropped, Blood Drive, and FX.

- Nat Geo WILD today announced plans to commemorate World Lion Day, Monday, Aug. 10, with a full day of big cat programming to remind viewers why these vital apex predators are so important to protect. The network’s programming initiative also draws awareness to the National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative with public service announcements and on-air promotional attention, kicking off Wednesday, July 29. “Nat Geo WILD has supported the National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative since we went on the air five years ago with our annual Big Cat Week event, and unfortunately it’s news like the tragic death of beloved Cecil that reminds us that our work to save these majestic animals is far from over,” said Geoff Daniels, executive vice president and general manager of Nat Geo WILD. “Big cat populations are in dramatic decline, and it is our network’s responsibility to do everything we can to bring awareness to their plight.” The lineup for World Lion Day includes:

Monday, Aug. 10, 2015:
12 p.m. Lion Battle Zone
1 p.m. Lion Gangland
2 p.m. The Last Lions (2 hours)
4 p.m. Game of Lions
5 p.m. Killer Queen
6 p.m. Fight for Life: Lion Pride Takeover
7 p.m. Man v. Lion

- Please join us in celebrating the 47th anniversary of Peanuts first African-American character, “FRANKLIN,” on July 31! Harriet Glickman, a school teacher wrote a letter to the comic strip’s creator Charles M. Schulz following the death of Martin Luther King urging him that an African American character needed to be added to the popular comic strip. “Franklin Armstrong” was introduced on July 31, 1968, representing the importance of desegregation.

- Critics call You’re The Worst “fantastic,” “the best,” and “the perfect love story for our times.” The all new season premieres September 9th on FXX.


- Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and avid golfer John Boehner sits down with David Feherty – one of the most recognizable and unique personalities in sports – for a wide-ranging interview about his life, career and love for golf on the next episode of Feherty, Golf Channel’s primetime interview series, Monday, Aug. 3 at 10:00.

- New Ovation show, On The Record With Mick Rock, follows legendary rock-and-roll photographer, Mick Rock, as he visits the hometowns of musicians Josh Groban, Patti LaBelle, Kings of Leon, and The Flaming Lips. The conversations that ensue are candid, unconventional, and shed light on the unknown stories behind an album cover, record release, or tour. On The Record With Mick Rock premieres Sunday, August 2nd at 8:00.

- A gripping new one-hour special from Smithsonian Channel relives the fateful day 70 years ago when the United States dropped a single bomb on Japan, destroying the city of Hiroshima and killing up to 70,000 people instantly. Narrated by Golden Globe nominee Dominic West (The Affair), The Day the Bomb Dropped premieres on Sunday, August 2 at 9:00 on Smithsonian Channel. Written and directed by Leslie Woodhead (The Hunt For Bin Laden; 9/11: The Day That Changed the World), The Day the Bomb Dropped gives an hour-by-hour account of the events of August 6, 1945, from the perspective of those who lived through it: the crew of the Enola Gay, the scientists who constructed the bomb, and the people on the ground in Hiroshima whose lives would be changed forever.

- Syfy and Universal Cable Productions today announced they have greenlit Blood Drive, a high-octane, over-the-top scripted series in the classic grindhouse movie tradition. Set in a near-apocalyptic future, the 13-episode series centers around LA’s last good cop who is forced to join a twisted, gory cross-country death race -- with cars powered by blood and a dangerous femme fatale partner who sees people as fuel.

- Express yourself FX style with the FX Emoji app featuring dozens of custom emojis for your iOS and Android device. Download the app for free from the Apple iTunes Store and Google Play:
iOS: http://itunes.com/app/FXEmoji
Android: https://goo.gl/G5wcXC
The new FX Emoji App features iconic images from your favorite FX and FXX shows, including Archer, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The Strain, Man Seeking Woman and Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/25/15

Hannibal: There has been some extremely disturbing scenes over the two and half seasons, but delivering a still born Verger baby from a dead pig takes the case even when it was being sliced with a scene with a dude's face being removed.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Aquarius: Finally they gave the chick with the historically bad accent her own episode. And what a tour de force performance. Give her her own show.
You can download Aquarius on iTunes.

The Strain: I did not catch on the two old dudes knew each other until they came face to face in current times (it probably does not help that Dr. Goodweather is the only name I remember besides The Master). But still those blind vampire kids are really going to creep me out all season.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Falling Skies: Yep, of course Pope was not happy that Tom would not save his his girlfriends but I did not see him going all saved head vengeful. Though I doubt anything bad will end up happening to Hal.
You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: How disappointing we did not get to see Hannah go amateur doctor and remove everybody's chip. Almost as disappointing that Allison did not coach any youth soccer this week.T least they did not drag out the Charles may or may not be dead and confirmed that he is still alive this week. And only two episodes until we get to see him. Um, yeah. So that will be the fifth A reveal on this show? I just if it will someone we have already met or will it just the actor playing Jason pulling double duties.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Tyrant: Poor Ahmed, he cut his hair to be taken more seriously only to be passed over for the new general position for the brother he first meets at the announcement ceremony. Maybe it is time to change that ring tone too Ahmed.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: Wait, so did the drug dealer kidnap Eliot's neighbor while he was still in prison? Does he know Eliot was involved in his incarceration?
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes

Around the Tubes:7/24/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Bob Marley, The Bomb, The Bastard Executioner, Lollapalooza, Homeland, You're the Worst, The League, Margaret Cho: psyCHO, Wolfmother, Archer, and The Screen Actors Guild Awards.

- Bob Marley’s 70th birthday year-long celebration (2015) continues with the release of two new box sets, The Complete Island Recordings and The Complete Island Recordings: Collector’s Edition. These two stunning vinyl collection sets will release September 25th, 2015, and feature 11 albums on 180-gram vinyl spanning a decade’s worth of Bob Marley & The Wailers releases on Island Records. The Complete Island Recordings will include 11-LPs packaged in a rigid card box with lift top lid, and wrapped in silver paper that simulates the brushed metal finish of a hinged lighter. The Complete Island Recordings: Collector’s Edition will included 11-LPs, a 70th anniversary slip mat and two photos in glassine envelopes, all packaged in a unique metal box set, numbered and lined with velvet and connected to truly emulate a hinged lighter. Both boxes will include Bob’s 70th Birthday logo and all nine Bob Marley & The Wailers studio albums recorded for Island Records, featuring some of their most celebrated releases, including “Catch A Fire,” their 1973 label debut, and “Rastaman Vibration,” their 1976 breakthrough album in the United States, along with two live albums “Live!” and “Babylon By Bus.”

- As the U.S and Iran reached a historic nuclear weapon deal last week and we are also approaching the 70th anniversary of the first detonation of the atomic bomb, it is a particularly timely moment for the U.S.’ history with nuclear power. To mark the upcoming historic milestone, PBS will premiere The Bomb and Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail. I have included additional information regarding both programs below my signature. The Bomb premieres Tuesday, July 28 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) and Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail premieres Tuesday, July 28, and Wednesday, July 29, 2015 from 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). A YouTube playlist with a handful of clips (more to be added over the next week) can be viewed here: http://to.pbs.org/1CEIkQW.

- Pray you don’t cross his path. The Bastard Executioner, the epic new series from creator Kurt Sutter, arrives this fall on FX. #TBX


- Missed out on nabbing tickets to this year’s Lollapalooza before tickets sold out? Well, Fuse has a solution for you: From July 31 through August 2, fans can visit fuse.tv to access Red Bull TV’s Lollapalooza live stream and enjoy the best of the festival from the comfort of their own home. Among the artists set to perform during the three-day festival in Chicago’s Grant Park are Metallica, Florence + the Machine, Sam Smith, Brand New, The Weeknd, Charli XCX, Kid Cudi, Walk The Moon and many more. Also check out www.fuse.tv for exclusive artist interviews, photo galleries and up to the minute Festival coverage.

- Yesterday, Showtime announced that the highly anticipated fifth season of the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning hit drama series Homeland will premiere on Sunday, October 4th at 9:00, followed by the second season premiere of the Golden Globe-winning drama The Affair at 10:00.

- FXX is the destination for comedy this fall with the seventh and final season of its hit comedy series The League and the second season of the acclaimed comedy You’re The Worst, it was announced today by Chuck Saftler, President of Program Strategy and COO, FX Networks. Season seven of The League will premiere on FXX on Wednesday, September 9th at 10:00, immediately followed by the second season of You’re The Worst at 10:30.

- Showtime will debut Margaret Cho: psyCHO, the latest show from renowned three-time Grammy and Emmy nominated comedian Margaret Cho on September 25th at 9:00. Filmed in March at the Gramercy Theater in New York City, Cho returns to the stage in front of a live audience in this provocative and hilarious performance.

- Following this record-breaking social media performance, Syfy and The Asylum announced they have greenlit Sharknado 4, expected to make landfall in July 2016. After destroying Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C. and much of the Eastern Seaboard, where will the sharks strike next? And will April Wexler (Tara Reid) live or die? Fans can decide if April makes it to Sharknado 4 by voting #AprilLives OR #AprilDies on Twitter or by visiting Sharknado.Syfy.com.

- Universal Music Enterprises will mark the 10th anniversary of Australian Grammy-winning rockers Wolfmother’s self-titled Modular/Interscope debut album, which first came out in 2005 via Universal Music Australia/Modular, featuring classic songs like the Top 10 U.S. alternative and #7 Mainstream Rock smash, “Woman” (earning Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2007 Grammys) and the Rock radio mainstays “Joker & the Thief” and “White Unicorn,” along with international hits, “Mind’s Eye,” “Dimension” and “Love Train.” Critics cited the band’s raw power, comparing it to the likes of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and classic psychedelic groups like Blue Cheer. Wolfmother: 10th Anniversary will be available both as a deluxe two-CD physical set, digitally and – for the first time in the U.S. – a two-LP vinyl set, on September 25, with the original cover artwork by Frank Frazetta. The double-album set, issued on audiophile 180g heavyweight vinyl, features four bonus B-sides, including “The Earth’s Rotation Around The Sun,” an acoustic version of “Vagabond,” a Loving Hands remix of “Joker & the Thief” and a Mstrkrft remix of “Woman.” The double-CD will also be available in digital audio, while the two-LP set will come with a download card.

- FXX will host a Season 1 marathon of the hit animated comedy Archer on Saturday, August 15th from 9 PM – 2 AM. With Archer set to return for its seventh season next year, join Sterling Archer and his fellow agents for an uninterrupted look back at the season that started it all.

- Carol Burnett – comedic trailblazer, actor, singer, dancer, producer and author – has been named the 52nd recipient of SAG-AFTRA's highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Burnett will be presented the performers union's top accolade at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at 8 p.m. (ET), 7 p.m. (CT), 6 p.m. (MT) and 5 p.m. (PT). Given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession," the SAG Life Achievement Award will join Burnett's exception al catal og of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes multiple Emmys®, a special Tony®, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and both a Kennedy Center Honor and its Mark Twain Prize for Humor.

I Want My Music Television:7/23/15

Song For Someone - U2


The prison industrial complex looks to be one of the bigger issues in the upcoming presidential election and one that it seems like both Democrats and Republicans should agree on. It a rights issues for the dems and the GOP should not like our tax dollars being wasted on nonviolent prisoners. President Obama just recently became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. But like most of what goes on in Washington, I would be shocked if anything actually gets done other than a few more states decriminalizing the wacky weed. I am not sure sure if the new U2 video is part of that movement as we seem Woody Harrelson's final day in prison which gets kind of creepy after being picked up by his real life daughter. It is probably good that the video cut off where it did.

Good for You - Selena Gomez


Someone recently pointed out that the new Selena Gomez music music video was made for dirty old men. I think pretty much any red blooded American man can appreciate it, c'mon, it is not Fiona Apple Criminal type creepy or anything. Okay, close, but there is no seventies shag carpeting. (Sure I may just be talking myself into not being creepy for watching this somewhere between 100 and 1000 times.) The song itself is kind of boring. It sound like she went into a producer and said, "I want Lorde but sexier." Except I do not want a sexier version of Lorde. But at least the music video omits the unnecessary A$AP Rocky verse for multiple reasons.

The Wolf (Live At Bonnaroo 2015) - Mumford & Sons


Mumford and Sons dropped their new album without a music video saying they do not really like doing them but had come around and may end up filming a couple. Um, I am not sure transversing around Bonnaroo as Robin Hood, Maid Marianne(?), a chicken, and a wolf (natch) makes may not actually be better than no video at all. Like most people when the new album came out, I met it with a "huh?" and "why?" but after a couple listens I do not completely have The Wolf but still find their electric conversion unnecessary.

Goldmine - Kimbra


Is the Kimbra music video stop motion (live action stop motion is a weird concept)? At any rate it is freaky cool.

Previewing Twinning

VH1 got into the competition business with I Love Money which ended up being a trashier version of The Challenge (no, seriously; casting agents found people worse off then those that go on The Challenge; think about that for a minute). Tragically, one of the contestants in the third season participated in a murder-suicide prior to the airing. VH1 never aired that season and burned off the fourth season during late night programming over a year later and no more seasons were filmed (same for any ... of Love feeder shows). In the last five years, crappy Housewives type shows have taken their place making VH1 must flee TV in the interim.

Even though those horrible housewives type show still inexplicably do well, it does seem like Video Hits One is trying to change its brand a little bit lately. First off Hindsight, a time traveling nineties show, was shockingly entertaining. There is also their faux-reality block of Barely Famous and Candidly Nicole (the former which is almost watchable) and even The Walk of Shame Shuttle and Dating Naked are cheesy fun at times.

The cable channel is even getting back into the competition game with another The Challenge type show. Thankfully the cast is not culled from all the horrible housewives shows that populated the the channel. Instead, as you can probably guess by the title, Twinning is made up by identical twins to see who has the best twin intuition, or as they calling it twintuition (there are an annoying amount of twin puns in the show).

But the show gets real evil real quick as they force the twins to live in separate Big Brother type houses (naturally they are mirror images of each other, one green, one orange colored; though it may have been cooler had it had been like that Syfy show where one half had to live live primitives, the other in the space age). The twins are even separated in challenges that they are supposed to complete together. The first of which is trying to match the same matching game with a giant wall between them. Okay the challenge kind of sucks and it is pretty clear that the limited amount of challenges where teammates cannot see each other may be too limiting.

Okay, the are not permanently separated because the top four winners get to spend one day with the ability to go between houses where they can hang out with their twins, at the end of which those eight get to pick which two teams go into the elimination round. Again, this is kind of lame because at least the first one is just the twins trying to guess questions like "what is the perfect time to wake up" and what number would you definitely pick if playing the lottery?"

As mentioned earlier, Dating Naked can be cheesy fun, and to give you an idea about Twinning, they come from the same Lighthearted Entertainment production company. The grand prize for the twinners is the kind of laughable $222,222.00. After the first episode, there really anyone I have any interest in rooting for why there are a couple of twins I already hope get the boot soon. Twinning is kind of a low rent The Challenge but since that is not on, Twinning may just hold you over until Survivor starts again in the fall.

Twinning airs Wednesdays at 100 on VH1.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/18/15

The Strain: The first season it seemed like the show really had a hard time finding the right balence and tone. On one hand the vampire were the creepiest creatures on television with their tongue claw things. On the other, their Master looked like a Muppet. It is hard to figure if the show is actually getting on the right track or not but there it looks to be. It looks like we will be getting a new Master, at least that is what I took out of the scene with vampire mom getting her voice back though it will is yet to be seen if she will be going back to her old form or will be fitted with a Muppets mask of her own (the former Master in the flashback look more like the lesser vampires on the show so maybe she will be fitted with a latex suit). We also learned more backstory and it turns out the Master went rouge from his kind of which there are seven of (no word on what is up with the three other yet) which is kind of interesting. The least interesting part continues to be the science behind the show with them trying to "cure" vampireism..
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Falling Skies: So Anthony's girlfriend dies in the premiere and this week Pope's lady friend gets stuck in some sort of alien quicksand... it looks like no one is going to get a happy ending in the final season. Well except the Mason family, they always get their ways.
You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

Murder in the First: Wait, so you are not allowed to plead guilty without being considered insane despite multiple eye witnesses and overwhelming physical evidence? Seemed like an open and shut case. Take the win and move on guys.
You can download Murder in the First on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Oh that lab scene was glorious, Hannah learning she was chipped, they stupidly freeing the animals including a wild raccoon that she has to give her dinner to appease. And of course Mona showing up to almost makes sense. It almost made me forget the Allison coaching youth soccer story line. Almost.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Tyrant: It only took five episode but Barry has finally decided to fight for his country. Let the season finally begin.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: Finally an episode featuring Dalia Royce in more than two scenes. And she was a nice diversion to the extremely trippy Elliot story line. From the start I have assumed Christian Slater was a figment of his imagination but he did talk to a couple other characters this week and gave money to the drug dealer so maybe I am wrong.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Under the Dome: I finally caught up with the early season and though the second season was completely dreadful I actually like the season premiere with the alert=native reality. But since that ended this invasion of the body snatcher lite story line is almost as dreadful as last season.
You can stream current episodes of Under The Dome for free with Amazon Prime.


Aquarius: Once again the most interesting aspect of the show did not happen on the show this week because there was no way it could because the show has not aired this week yet. That is because NBC announced this week that it is getting moved to Saturdays (along with Hannibal) starting tonight. This has to be the first time a show that has been renewed but banished to the death slot less than a month later.
You can download the entire seaaon of Aquarius on iTunes if you do not want to watch television on Saturdays.

Around the Tubes: 7/17/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Affair, Life on the Reef, Childhood's End, Heroes Reborn, The Hunger Games, Sports Detectives, and Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks.

- Today, Showtime debuted the second season key art and a new teaser for its Golden Globe Award-winning drama The Affair, premiering this fall on linear, On Demand and over the internet. Starring Golden Globe nominee Dominic West (The Wire), Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (Luther), Emmy® nominee Maura Tierney (ER) and Screen Actors Guild® Award nominee Joshua Jackson (Fringe), season two of The Affair explores the emotional and psychological effects of an affair that destroyed two marriages, and the crime that brings these individuals back together. This season, the provocative drama will be told separately from four different perspectives, revealing four distinct truths. To watch and share the new teaser for season two of THE AFFAIR, go to: http://s.sho.com/1HY8ro8. For a behind the scenes look at the new season art, go to: http://s.sho.com/1UV81To.

- Life on the Reef, a three-part series that explores the mysteries and hardships of the world’s greatest marine wilderness, premieres Wednesday, July 22, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). The documentary examines the array of life in and around one of the planet’s most extraordinary and endangered places, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and the efforts to protect it.

- Childhood’s End follows the peaceful alien invasion of Earth by the mysterious “Overlords,” whose arrival begins decades of apparent utopia at the cost of human identity and culture. Check out the trailer below:


- Imperative Entertainment released the first trailer for Heroes Reborn: Gemini (console/PC) and Heroes Reborn: Enigma (smartphone/tablet) -- two games connected with the upcoming Heroes Reborn TV series. The trailer gives a glimpse into the dark world of the Heroes universe as well as the incredible powers fans and players can expect to wield in the game.


- EPIX presents the world television premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1 on Saturday, July 25th at 8:00.

- Muhammad Ali’s Olympic gold medal. The basketball from Wilt Chamberlain’s famous 100-point game. The American flag draped over goalie Jim Craig after the “Miracle on Ice.” All precious artifacts from legendary moments in sports – and all are either missing or in dispute. Enter Sports Detectives (working title), a new Smithsonian Channel docu-series currently in production that looks to uncover the true stories behind some of the most iconic objects in sports history and the moments that defined them. Sports Detectives, comprised of six one-hour episodes, is scheduled to premiere in 2016. The announcement was made today by David Royle, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production, Smithsonian Channel.

- It’s opening day of the Outer Banks bluefin season, and the captains battle it out to make the season’s first catch. Captain Charlie “Griff” Griffin may be new to the competition, but he’s a legend in these waters. Griff, who fishes alongside his son, manages to form a friendship with Gloucester captain Dave Marciano of the Hard Merchandise. Despite the competition, Griff offers to help Marciano navigate the treacherous currents that run through Oregon Inlet as boats pass under Bonner Bridge. It’s a dangerous gamble: If they make it through they’ll reach the fishing grounds, but one wrong move could end both their seasons. Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks: First Strike premieres Sunday, July 19, 2015, at 9:00.

The Eleventh Scooter Television Awards

Welcome to the 11th Annual Scooter Television Awards honoring show that aired a majority of their season between July 2014 and June 2015. Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2014 STA's:

Best Scripted Show: Justified

Best Sitcom: Blackish

Best Sci-Fi Show: Orphan Black

Best Comic Book Adaptation: Marvel's Agent Carter

Best Animated Show: Star Wars: Rebels

Best Reality Show (Competition): The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II

Best Reality Show (Documentary): Sing it On

Best Talk Show: Pardon the Interruption

Best New Show: Marvel's Agent Carter

Guiltiest Guilty Pleasure: Hindsight

Best Awards Show: 2015 Grammy Awards

Best Hour of TV: Fight - Masters of Sex

Best Half Hour of TV: Martin Luther Skiing Day - Blackish

Biggest Shocker: Paige telling someone who her parents really are

Worst Idea: Bringing back Resurrection for a second season

Worst Moment: Carrie seducing her target on Homeland

Biggest Disappointment: It took Paige this long to learn her parents are Russian

Best New Title Sequence: The Affair

Best Dance Sequence: Alison and Donnie Hendrix rap video homage

Best Character: Alison Hendrix (Orphan Black)

Best New Character: Peggy Carter (Marvel's Agent Carter)

Best Recurring Character: Ronald Pierce (Ray Donovan)

Best Guest Appearance: Lady Sif (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Best Duo: Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder (Justified)

Most Entertaining Reality “Star”: Nany Gonzalez (The Challenge)

Most Annoying Reality “Star”: The men of Survivor:Worlds Apart

Show That Should Be Brought Back: Hannibal

Most Anticipated New Show of Next Season: Blindspot

Biggest Question for 2015-2016: What happened to Becca in the elevator?

The Ten Best Television Shows of 2014-15

For my list of best shows of the year, I only consider shows that finished their seasons between July 2014 and June 2015 so the final season of Mad Men which stupidly was split into half season is finally eligible even though the season started almost seventeen months ago. What is not eligible is the show that topped last year's list Hannibal as it just started its third season. Here are the ten best shows that aired their episodes in the same twelve month periods.

1. Justified 7.x (FX)
2. Masters of Sex 2.x (Showtime)
3. Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC)
4. The Americans 3.x (FX)
5. Homeland 4.x (Showtime)
6. Parenthood 6.x (NBC)
7. Gotham 1.x (FOX)
8. Mad Men 7.x (AMC)
9. Blackish 1.x (ABC)
10. Orphan Black 3.x (BBC America)

Previewing The 2000's: A New Reality

VH1's I Love the 80's was one of the greatest specials ever in the history of television. Of course I Love the 90's came next. After that the channel went back further for I Love the 70's even though a better title could have been I Kinda Like the 70's because "Love" is a little strong for that decade. But the huge mistake was when VH1 produced I Love the New Millennium. First off, stupid title. Sure we never landed on a title for the decade, but man up and definitively call it something. Even worse it aired in 2008 before the decade was even over. Not only that, the decade pretty much sucked worse than the seventies.

A couple years back National Geographic Channel debuted its own retrospective The '80s: The Decade That Made Us which was a more newsy, macro version of I Love the 80's. Not surprising they followed that up with The '90s: The Last Great Decade?. The simple answer was yes. Much like I Love the New Millennium, I feared that another in the NGC special in the series would be unnecessary. But tonight sees the premiere of The 2000's: A New Reality. At least they actually waited until after the decade was over to produce it.

With all that happened surrounding the Supreme Court last month, it is actually a little funny that the special starts off with liberals like Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi decrying that radical un-elected judges decided who got to be president while conservatives like Bill O'Reilly commended the Supreme Court for following the word of the Constitution. What a difference fifteen years makes.

I figured going in this retrospective would be more depressing than the two previous but watching the four hour but all the bad news stories just kept on getting compounding: Elian Gonzalez, USS Cole, hanging chads, Chandra Levy, 9/11, anthrax, Tora Bora, Beltway Sniper, Enron, the Iraq War, the Southeast Asian tsunami, Janet Jackson's nipple, Abu Ghraib,Hurricane Katrina, global warming, Lehman Brothers. Sure tails of Survivor, Napster, iPod, The Osbournes, YouTube, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy are sprinkled in but it is hard not to be glad that decade is over after watching A New Reality.

Back again as narrator is Rob Lowe. We also get first hand accounts of the biggest stories by politicians Dick Cheney, Nancy Pelosi, talking heads Bill O'Reilly, Geraldo Rivera, entertainers Randy Jackson, Adam McCay, people who where on the USS Cole when it was attacked, survivors of the tsunami and Katrina, and even the whistle-blowers behind Enron and Abu Ghraib. The 2000s: A New Reality probably is something airing too early (we should probably wait at least a decade before we should take stalk in history) but it is something that will hold up for future generations to understand just how depressing and wild the decade was.

The 2000s: A New Reality premieres tonight at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel and concludes tomorrow also starting at 9:00.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/11/15

Penny Dreadful: So the creepy Vanessa doll was the Earthly vessel for the Fallen Angel... Awesome. But did destroying the doll end the Fallen Angel or will he just be stewing in hell until he find another witch to do his bidding (and could the witch's daughter be that person; though I have a feeling if she shows up again it will be to help Ethan escape)? I did not quite understand the absorbing the scorpion, was she absorbing the Fallen Angel and is now an angel herself? Is that why she burned the cross. Maybe that was the Fallen Angel processing her, maybe? Though it does seem that they are setting up Lilly and Dorian as the big bad of season three.
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

Tyrant: Offering his services as baby sitter for the woman who is leaving the village for six months really makes it looks like Barry will be spending the whole season there and not trying to get home to his family which would be a bummer. At least the promo monkeys make it seem he will be going to Syria next week.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: That bar scene basically just confirmed to me that Christian Slater is just a figment of Elliot's imagination. Then you had Tyrell going as close as you can get to going American Psycho without having Huey Lewis and the News playing in the background (which begs the question who is this decade's Huey Lewis... Maroon 5?) But still, I need more than one or two scene of Dalia Royce per episode. This is the worst tease in television history.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Hannibal: Leave it to this show to make even hot lesbian sex seem creepy. And I finally figured out who Mason looks like with his new face: he looks like a resident of Whoville. Now I will probably start laughing whenever he comes on screen.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 7/10/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Homeland, Twinning, The Expanse, Chris Cornell, Other Voices, Showtime on Hulu, Incredible Flying Jet Packs, Hell on Wheels, and WAGS.

- Hot on the heels of launching its stand-alone streaming service, Showtime is giving viewers a first look at the upcoming fifth season of the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning drama series Homeland. Premiering this fall, the series will pick up two years after Carrie Mathison’s (Emmy®, Screen Actors Guild® and Golden Globe® Award winner Claire Danes) ill-fated tenure as Islamabad station chief. Struggling to reconcile her guilt and disillusionment with years of working on the front lines in the “war on terror,” Carrie finds herself in a self-imposed exile in Berlin, estranged from the CIA and working as the head of security for a German philanthropist.


- For the first time ever, VH1 is putting “twin-tuition” to the test with new reality competition series Twinning premiering Wednesday, July 22nd at 10:00. With ten hour-long episodes and hosted by Angie Greenup, Twinning is an arc’d competition series in which 12 sets of twins will go head-to-head for a grand prize of $222,222.22. But getting there won’t be easy. Viewers will experience double the meltdowns, double the hook-ups, and, of course, double the fun when twin teams are pushed to their limits in unexpected ways. As the strengths and weaknesses of each twin pair is revealed, relationships will be tested and resentments will be exposed. In the end, one pair of twins will be left standing and win the cash prize, and be crowned as “Twinners!”


- Syfy has announced the launch of a virtual reality app for The Expanse, the network’s highly-anticipated drama series from Alcon TV premiering in December 2015. Utilizing Google Cardboard, the app immerses viewers into the vast world of The Expanse, giving them the opportunity to enter into settings from the show and experience them in virtual reality. “The Expanse VR” app – available for iOS and Android devices – takes users on a 360-degree tour of the spaceship Canterbury (the massive ice freighter introduced in the first episode of The Expanse). Additional virtual reality content will be added to the app in the months leading up to the series’ premiere in December.

- When Grammy-winning, Golden Globe® nominated singer/songwriter and rock icon Chris Cornell was about to release his 1999 solo debut on Interscope/A&M/Geffen Records, he was dissuaded from his first choice for the title, Euphoria Mourning, and reluctantly dubbed it Euphoria Morning. Now, 16 years later, Universal Music Enterprises is correcting that admitted misjudgment, re-releasing the re-mastered album under its original name on August 14, for the first time on vinyl as well as reissuing digitally and on CD. Euphoria Mourning will be pressed on 180 gram vinyl and include a download card featuring 320 kbps MP4 audio ripped directly from the vinyl.

- The latest special from the acclaimed Irish music series Other Voices is headed to North America. The one-hour program, featuring worldwide sensation and Grammy Award-nominated artist Hozier, will be broadcast on Smithsonian Channel in the U.S. and Canada. OTHER VOICES is distributed by Monster Entertainment. Hosted by Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones and The Wire), Other Voices is filmed in the spectacular seaside town of Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland, where the main performances are shot in the very intimate and beautiful 200-year old St. James’ Church. The announcement was made today by David Royle, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production, Smithsonian Channel and Andrew Fitzpatrick, Chairman, Monster Entertainment.

- A new era has arrived. Starting today, Showtime is available as a stand-alone streaming service on Apple TV®, iPhone®, iPad®, iPod touch® and the Roku streaming platform, and consumers can subscribe to the service for one monthly price of $10.99. Viewers can also subscribe to Showtime via PlayStation Vue’s cloud-based TV service, or can get the SHOWTIME service through their Hulu subscription and stream on a wide range of the most popular internet-connected streaming devices. The launch of Showtime through these new internet distributors coincides with the new seasons of the critically-acclaimed, hit series Ray Donovan, starring Liev Schreiber, and Masters of Sex, starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, premiering this Sunday, July 12th. In addition, Showtime is also available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers.

- Jet packs have sparked our imaginations for decades. They’re fast, they’re cool, and people dream of them becoming part of everyday life in the 21st century. A new Smithsonian Channel one-hour special, Incredible Flying Jet Packs, premiering Sunday, July 19 at 9:00, explores their past, present and future.

- Season Three of Hell on Wheels ended with Cullen married to a pregnant Naomi and living in a Mormon fort where the Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl) was impersonating church leader, Bishop Dutson; Thomas "Doc" Durant (Colm Meaney) back in control of the Union Pacific Railroad which had successfully expanded westward to Cheyenne; and Elam (Common), gravely injured by a bear while searching for the missing Cullen. And, as Hell on Wheels: The Complete Forth Season unfolds on blu-ray and DVD exclusively from Entertainment One (eOne), civilization makes its way west with the railroad, bringing with it men who attempt to do with their pens what rougher men did in seasons past with their guns. Conflict between government and big business, ranchers, homesteaders and the railroad will continue to define the drama as all of those interests compete with one another for control of Cheyenne, Wyoming, the "Magic City of the Plains", and the most important railroad hub in the country.

- E! takes a wild ride into the world of some of today’s hottest professional athletes from the perspective of the women who stand by their side, otherwise known as WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends of Sports Stars). These WAGS are playing the most competitive sport out there: getting and keeping that pro-athlete man. As part of an elite, exclusive group, the WAGS are close friends who are bound together by a strict hierarchy, unspoken rules and plenty of drama – and those who have the coveted ring and a husband with a contract are the ones with all the power! As in sports, this game is all about getting that “W” and this pack knows how to play the field… Jump into the competitive, fast-paced, glamorous world of “WAGS” when the new series premieres on E! Tuesday, August 18th at 10:00.

Previewing Masters of Sex: Season Three

Late last season on Masters of Sex, Virginia's ex-husband George showed up looking to alter their custody arrangement much to her chagrin. I actually thought he had a good case because at that point I had completely forgotten she had children, they were MIA for most of the season and the only time I even remember them being mentioned was when Libby wanted to piggyback Virginia's babysitter to spend more time with her nanny's brother. It seems like there will not be a lack of Johnson children this season because they have enough of a storyline this year to warrant a title card at the end of each episode (or the very least the first two) letting us know that though the sex study is based on their real research, the children on the show are completely fictitious.

When the Johnson children did pop up at the end of last season during the custody battles I was a bit surprised that with all the time jumping that happen last season (five years had passed since the series started) the kids were played by the same actors that played them in the first season despite the five years that had passed in the time. Since another four year has passed since the end of last they have finally recast the kids to more age appropriate actor. Henry is now seventeen and looking like Steve Rogers before he got his Captain America super powers. While fifteen year old Tessa is now being played by Isabelle Fuhrman (the creepy girl from Orphan who did such a great job in an otherwise mediocre film that I had to go straight to her Wikipedia page to see if she really was a forty year old like her character or an actual teenager like she looked). Focusing more on teenagers has always been a drag on otherwise great television shows, but the best part of the early season is when Ginny suggests Dr. Masters, who has spent his life studying the subject, give Tessa the birds and the bees speech.

This comes when the Johnsons and Masters (who have added a third child since the last episode) descend on a cabin for vacation on the even of their book finally being publish. When we last left Libby she was finally admit her husband was having an affair and it seems like everyone now know this but never speak of it which leads to a bunch of awkward conversations even before the subject of birds and bees is brought up. The end of the premiere bring a bombshell that will shake up the new season which will result in the addition of Maggie Grace as fellow doctor (yes, the token hot chick from Lost will be playing an MD) who assists Dr. Masters when a very important person is in need of Masters's expertise.

Over two season, Masters of Sex has established itself as one of television's best, combining drama and sexual education with a wry sense of humor (thankfully Betty and Lester still working at the clinic) and it only continues to get better in its third season. And it may end up being the first great television show that can make kids of the characters entertaining.

Masters of Sex airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime. You can download previous season of Masters of Sex on iTunes.

Previewing Ray Donovan: Season Three

For seven years fans of Justified were hoping that Raylan Givens would run into his alter ego's nemesis Al Swearengen. Unfortunately all we got instead was a dreadful Michael Rappaport season. We may have never gotten the Deadwood reunion we wanted on Justified but we will be getting one on Ray Donovan with Ian McShane showing up on his favorite prostitute's show. He plays a very powerful (and kind of shady) billionaire in need of Ray's by any means necessary approach when his son is held for ransom. That one favor turns into two and when Ray needs a favor, McShane then completely owns Rays (but it is a really big favor).

I had some big problems with the first season of Ray Donovan. It really epitomized what I considered the post-golden age era television is currently in: the acting is ghe writing is good, but something is just missing, and in this case, the show just was not entertaining. The show did improve in its sophomore outing as it found its humor; the Conner birthday was a highlight of last season. Yeah it did still have some rough spots; Bunchy was still a useless character (well so are the kids, but that was the case even during the Golden Age). The show also would have been better off had they just killed off Micky at the end of the first season instead of Sully. But Wendell Pierce was a great addition as Micky's parole officer.

Unfortunately we may not be see much of Pierce this season as apparently his parole expired in between seasons (he does show up in the third episode) and Micky has moved on to babysitting a five year old girl (seriously). Instead we get a recurring Katie Holmes as McShane's sports agents daughter which disappointingly brings Ray back to his first season self where Ray finds himself bailing athletes out of sticky situations that the lower half of their bodies get them into. And it does not happen early in the run, but it seems safe to assume Ray will forcibly have sex with her at some time and will disturbingly like it.

Much like Ray himself, the show is seriously flawed but is working hard at what he does. It is not clear if the third season is where the show can finally turn a corner but at the very least, it will be nice have l Swearengen back on a channel where he can say his favorite word (which sadly, I doubt will chance, a lot has changed in the decade since Deadwood) but it will be interesting if the writers can figure out a reunion with Trixie. But at the very least the second episode is worth checking out just to hear Terry's (who is absent in the season premiere) cellmate sing his favorite Huey Lewis and the News song.

Ray Donovan airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime. You can also download previous seasons of Ray Donovan on iTunes.

Previewing Destination Wild

In a measure of full disclousure I should mention that I have never actually played Angry Birds. I think I got the Star Wars edition when some site offered it for free but never got around to tranfering it to a mobile devise let alone play it yet. But I understand that the mobile game is a cultural phenomanon. It is even getting its own tie in special on Nat Geo Wild this Sunday with the appropriately titled Real Angry Bird. And these birds more than live up to their title with the birds going wild on other animals and even some bird on bird action like one species who go one on one with what look like a female cheering them on like someone is filming a white trash family reunion. And in a rarity on these animal specials, us human beings get featured as a target o some aerial assults.

Real Angry Birds is part of a twelve week Destination Wild branded events all starting Sundays at 9:00. Here is a full down of what is airing this summer:

Real Angry Birds
Premieres Sunday, July 12, 9/8c
“Angry Birds” is an addictive game, but are there real angry birds out there? What happens when they stop being polite and start getting mad? For the aviary set, every day is a battle to survive, find food and shelter, and stay out of harm’s way. Tune in for a bird’s-eye view of our feathered friends’ fights, singing battles and dance-offs.

The Eagles
Premieres Sunday, July 12, 10/9c
Eagles are top predators that battle fiercely for survival and diligently raise their young. This eagle clan has 60 members, united by their acute eyesight, powerful wings, sharp talons and hooked beaks. We follow one eagle from hatchling to home ownership. Her fight to survive shows what it takes to be queen of the sky. In the words of another reality diva: “It’s Gone With the Wind fabulous.”

Brazil
Premieres Sunday, July 19, 9/8c (two hours)
From the rolling mountains and luscious rain forests to the scorching desert and the iconic Amazon River, meet the extreme wildlife of Brazil. And we’re not talking about an episode of “Botched.” We’re talking giant anteaters, venomous snakes, capuchin monkeys, dolphins, boa constrictors and many more.

Clever Monkeys
Premieres Sunday, July 26, 10/9c
Narrated by natural history legend David Attenborough, Clever Monkeys opens our eyes to a world filled with intelligence, love, sadness, empathy, language, lying, social manipulation, stress and humor more touching than anything you might see on Bravo! Scientists around the world are listening to monkey calls and finding language with grammar. They have even discovered lying monkeys. Some monkeys suffer from depression, high blood pressure, ulcers and stress. Come along to a monkey world that looks strikingly similar to ours.

Kings of Baja
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 2, 10/9c
There are few places on Earth more forbidding and beautiful than Baja, Mexico. That said, Laguna Beach came close in its reality heyday. Eight hundred miles long and 10 million years in the making, Baja is home to a punishing desert and the most diverse sea on the planet. Kings of Baja showcases the unique evolutionary adaptations of the flora and mega fauna to survive in their slice of the ecosystem including sea lions, devil rays, great white sharks, hammerheads, giant mantas, whale sharks and gray whales.

Fur Seal Battleground
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 9, 9/8c
If you’re looking for the ultimate survival reality show, you won’t want to miss the adventures of Ruby and Oliver, two New Zealand fur seal pups struggling to learn the secret to staying alive. From the very start, they must stay out of the way of testosterone-charged bulls so they aren’t trampled to death. Every few days the pups are left to themselves while their mothers go off to feed. Only half of all fur seal pups survive the first year of life, so these pups must learn fast if they want to beat the odds.

Lemur Island
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 9, 10/9c
Millions of years ago, hundreds of castaway creatures crash-landed on Madagascar’s rugged shores. Isolated from the mainland, evolution went into overdrive. Of the tens of thousands of species found on the island, approximately 80 percent are unique. This myriad of bizarre life forms had a huge impact on the early human settlers — lemurs in particular shaped their culture, fueling folklore and legend that still guide their lives today. Legend has it that early reality sensation Puck is descended from a lemur.

The Kangaroo King
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 16, 10/9c
The scorching interior of the world’s oldest continent is home to the toughest kangaroo on the planet, the mighty Red. You won’t want to miss extremely rare footage of a red kangaroo birth and specialized in-pouch cameras that capture an intimate portrait of Red’s development. We are also introduced to the kangaroo’s formidable neighbors through close encounters with wedge-tailed eagles, dingoes, venomous snakes and giant monitor lizards. This is a story of survival against the odds and what it takes to endure drought, heat wave and bushfire.

Alpine Underworld
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 23, 8/7c
The Alps’ lofty mountain world is a holiday destination from January to December, but there is an unknown side to the picturesque vacation spot. Using the latest technology, our cameras summit lofty peaks and dive into ice-cold lakes to reveal zones of life and death. We’re talking real-world Life Below Zero here. The lakes’ abyss includes ghostly shipwrecks complete with ghastly residents, medieval trees felled by too much snow and fascinating sea life. High up on the mountaintops we meet the animals that breathe this rare air including lynx, the poisonous asp viper and the stone eagle. This alpine tour brings an entirely new perspective to one of Europe’s most fascinating landscapes.

Wild Spain
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 23, 9/8c
Arab emirs called it the Great River; today it is called the Guadalquivir and it flows for 400 miles from the Carzola mountain range in Spain to the Atlantic Ocean. Together with a lone fox, we embark on the ultimate reality road trip along the banks of the Guadalquivir, from the snow-covered summits to the seashore, enjoying the greatest biodiversity in Europe. The fox’s goal is safer ground, and on his way he meets a motley crew of animals including an Iberian lynx, golden eagle, spider crab, dragonflies and sturgeon. This spectacular variety of landscapes and fauna is a must-see.

Elephant Queen
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 30, 9/8c
After the tragic death of her daughter, the herd matriarch must lead her elephants to safety. This epic journey will take them across an arid desert, past mud swamps, a valley of dust storms and beyond the lion gatekeepers of a forbidden kingdom, into the herds’ ancient feeding grounds in the Okavango Delta. The route they will follow is an ancient one, etched in elephant memory that stitches waterhole to waterhole in an invisible map across the dry lands. However, if Mensah loses her way, her herd could all die of thirst, or worse.

Boteti
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 6, 10/9c
Twenty years of drought has turned the Boteti River into Botswana dust. The animals that live here endure hardship to stay alive and must adapt their behavior to survive. Herds of zebra fight over water, crocodiles dig tunnels to stay cool and elephants practice water conservation. Now for the first time in 30 years, rain has fallen, sending a stream of water through the riverbed. After years of extreme drought, the Boteti has returned in all its glory, transforming the landscape and bringing dramatic changes to the resident animals. It’s like when the contestants on “Survivor” get a food reward — buckle up for a wild ride.

DISNEYNATURE: WINGS OF LIFE Narrated by Meryl Streep (NETWORK TELEVISION PREMIERE)
Premieres Sunday, September Sept. 13, 8/7c (90 minutes)
WINGS OF LIFE is a stunning adventure full of intrigue, drama and mesmerizing beauty. Narrated by Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep, this intimate and unprecedented look at butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, bats and flowers is a celebration of life, as a third of the world’s food supply depends on these incredible — and increasingly threatened — creatures.

Behind Russia’s Frozen Curtain
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 20, 9/8c
Explore the stark landscape, frigid sea and wild animals in Franz Josef Land, one of the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth. National Geographic Pristine Seas Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala leads a group of scientists and adventurers on the first international scientific expedition to Franz Josef Land. His team will work with some of Russia’s most formidable biologists, geomorphologists and ornithologists to see how climate change is affecting this untouched world. Behind Russia’s Frozen Curtain is also featured in Sala’s new book, “Pristine Seas: Journeys to the Ocean’s Last Wild Places,” on sale Sept. 22.

Land of 10,000 Grizzlies
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 27, 8/7c
Russia’s Far East is a wild and isolated realm that was closed to outsiders by the Soviet military for most of the past hundred years, but wildlife was left to flourish. Compelled by the instinct to reproduce, millions of salmon journey to Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula every summer, drawing some 10,000 grizzly bears to its shores. Talk about an “Amazing Race.” Journey with us to this harsh and beautiful terrain to find Northern fur seals, the artic fox and Steller’s sea eagle.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/5/15

Penny Dreadful: Last week I was beginning to think that Sembene was special after he was able to shake Sir Malcolm from his enchantment. Well it turns out the marks on his face was because he was a slave trader and he is, as he claims, just a man. Of course if he is still around next week after surviving a wolf attack he is more than just a man. But the show did set up what looks to be a tense finale. Malcolm and Dr. Frankenstein are locked up in a room of illusion. Vanessa was introduced to a creepy doll version of herself (or I assume even though it looks less like her than the bust of Lionel Richie made by a blind woman looked like him). Then you have to wonder if Lyle is still playing both sides because he is safest of them all right now.
You can download Penny Dreadful on iTunes.

The Last Ship: The two hour premiere was pretty intense, defeating the evil dictator o Utopia. But is that going to get the whole show now that they have the cure: go into a new area, overthrow a dictator, pass out the cure? Hopefully they find something more interesting to do this season because that could get old soon. This week's searching for surviving family members was kind of boring.
You can download The Last Ship on iTunes.

American Odyssey: Oh, how did the writers think they were actually going to get a second season? There really was no need for a cliffhanger here. It really put a damper on a stupid fun season which is becoming a NBC post football Sundays tradition. But at least the show went out stupid with Aslam just running the streets of Spain looking for Odell, the weird thing in the cemetery, plus there should have been no reason for a cliffhanger because shouldn't Peter's flashdrive backed up everything Odell said? Oh well. It will not put a damper on whatever cheap Homeland ripoff NBC puts in this slot next spring.
You can download American Odyssey on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Can we just please get to the point where Allison starts coaching the church's soccer team please. Forget the summer of answers, all I want this season is her coaching. For some reason we will have to wait at least two weeks or that because the show is randomly off next week. In non soccer news, let me go ahead and predict the little dancing girl is actually the younger version of Spencer.

Tyrant: So is Barry just going to spend the whole season in a desert town? Even in the middle of nowhere and with a beard, it is kind of hard to believe no one noticed the brother of the president.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: The show does paranoia better than I can remember being depicted on screen before. It crossed my mind last week but I am becoming more convinced that Christian Slater is just a figment of Elliot's paranoia, basically the person he want, or thinks he should be. And maybe all the hackers are parts of him. But as good the first two episodes have been, I am going to need more Dalia Royce than just one scene going forward.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Hannibal: If Danny DeVito's momma cannot survive being thrown from a train it is hard to believe Will Graham can. And I thought European countries had bullet trains now. Oh well. At least Jack got some form of revenge on Hannibal as we know he will not be able to capture him (not that Jack looked like he had any intention of capturing). I am just hoping Hannibal's capture happens soon so they can move on to the next capture because I am not sure if I want to sit through a whole season of near captures.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.